When The Hounds Start One He Will Give One Or Two
Jumps High Up In The Air To Take A Look At Things, And Then He
Commences To Run With Great Bounds, With His Enormously Long Ears
Straight Up Like Sails On A Boat, And Almost Challenges The Dogs To
Follow.
But the poor hunted thing soon finds out that he must do
better than that if he wishes to keep ahead, so down go the ears, flat
along his back, and stretching himself out very straight, goes his
very fastest, and then the real chase is on.
But Mr. Jack-Rabbit is cunning, and when he sees that the long-legged
dogs are steadily gaining upon him and getting closer with every jump,
he will invariably make a quick turn and run back on his own tracks,
often going right underneath the fast-running dogs that cannot stop
themselves, and can only give vicious snaps as they jump over him.
Their stride - often fifteen and twenty feet - covers so much more
ground than the rabbit's, it is impossible for them to make as quick
turns, therefore it is generally the slow dog of the pack that catches
the rabbit. And frequently a wise old rabbit will make many turns and
finally reach a hole in safety.
The tail of a greyhound is his rudder and his brake, and the sight is
most laughable when a whole pack of them are trying to stop, each tail
whirling around like a Dutch windmill. Sometimes, in their frantic
efforts to stop quickly, they will turn complete somersaults and roll
over in a cloud of dust and dirt. But give up they never do, and once
on their feet they start back after that rabbit with whines of
disappointment and rage. Many, many times, also, I have heard the dogs
howl and whine from the pain caused by the cactus spines in their
feet, but not once have I ever seen any one of them lag in the chase.
But the pack here is a notoriously fine one. The leader. Magic, is a
splendid dog, dark brindle in color, very swift and very plucky, also
most intelligent. He is a sly rascal, too. He loves to sleep on
Lieutenant Baldwin's bed above all things, and he sneaks up on it
whenever he can, but the instant he hears Lieutenant Baldwin's step on
the walk outside, down he jumps, and stretching himself out full
length in front of the fire, he shuts his eyes tight, pretends to be
fast asleep, and the personification of an innocent, well-behaved dog!
But Lieutenant Baldwin knows his tricks now, and sometimes, going to
the bed, he can feel the warmth from his body that is still there, and
if he says, "Magic, you old villain," Magic will wag his tail a
little, which in dog language means, "You are pretty smart, but I'm
smart, too!"
With all this outdoor exercise, one can readily perceive that the days
are not long and tiresome.
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